OSHA probes man's death

Published: Friday, October 31, 2003 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 30, 2003 at 11:00 p.m.

NORTHPORT | The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a Tuscaloosa man who fell Wednesday while working on a restaurant sign.

Robert Daniel "Danny" Stone, 40, an employee of Knight Sign Industries, was changing bulbs at McDonald's, 2000 McFarland Blvd., Northport, around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when he fell from his ladder, police said.

The cable of the mechanized extension ladder he was using snapped, causing the ladder to collapse, said Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit commander Lt. Loyd Baker. Stone fell to the parking lot and died instantly.

Roberto Sanchez, Birmingham area director for the federal workplace safety agency, said an investigator was in Northport Thursday reviewing the incident. The agency routinely investigates workplace fatalities.

Robert Stone, a truck driver, said that he and his son were close.

"He was quiet and level-headed. He had a long fuse, but when it burnt down, the best place for you to be was Mississippi or Georgia or somewhere," he said.

The family lived in Tuscaloosa briefly before moving to Texas. Danny's mother died in a car accident when he was 22. He was living with his parents and younger sister in Houston at the time.

He stayed in Houston where he gained experience as an electrician and mechanic and moved back to Tuscaloosa in 1999 or 2000, his father said.

He married his wife Donna Hoggle, a surgical nurse at HealthSouth, a few years ago and lived with her and his 10-year-old stepdaughter, Amy.

Stone said that his son was a good handyman who could repair just about anything. He enjoyed his job at Knight Sign Industries, which took him all over the country.

"He was a stickler for the code, the electrical code, he was very professional in that respect," Stone said. "He was not scared of high places, because that's where the money is."

Stone said that his son would stop by almost every night after work, and sometimes in the mornings. He last saw him Wednesday morning when he stopped by for coffee before the men went to work.

"We're going to miss him," Stone said.

McDonald's manager Lori Wade had just left for the day when the accident occurred.

<p>NORTHPORT | The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the death of a Tuscaloosa man who fell Wednesday while working on a restaurant sign.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>Robert Daniel "Danny" Stone, 40, an employee of Knight Sign Industries, was changing bulbs at McDonald's, 2000 McFarland Blvd., Northport, around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when he fell from his ladder, police said.</p><p>The cable of the mechanized extension ladder he was using snapped, causing the ladder to collapse, said Tuscaloosa County Metro Homicide Unit commander Lt. Loyd Baker. Stone fell to the parking lot and died instantly.</p><p>Roberto Sanchez, Birmingham area director for the federal workplace safety agency, said an investigator was in Northport Thursday reviewing the incident. The agency routinely investigates workplace fatalities.</p><p>Robert Stone, a truck driver, said that he and his son were close.</p><p>"He was quiet and level-headed. He had a long fuse, but when it burnt down, the best place for you to be was Mississippi or Georgia or somewhere," he said.</p><p>The family lived in Tuscaloosa briefly before moving to Texas. Danny's mother died in a car accident when he was 22. He was living with his parents and younger sister in Houston at the time.</p><p>He stayed in Houston where he gained experience as an electrician and mechanic and moved back to Tuscaloosa in 1999 or 2000, his father said.</p><p>He married his wife Donna Hoggle, a surgical nurse at HealthSouth, a few years ago and lived with her and his 10-year-old stepdaughter, Amy.</p><p>Stone said that his son was a good handyman who could repair just about anything. He enjoyed his job at Knight Sign Industries, which took him all over the country.</p><p>"He was a stickler for the code, the electrical code, he was very professional in that respect," Stone said. "He was not scared of high places, because that's where the money is."</p><p>Stone said that his son would stop by almost every night after work, and sometimes in the mornings. He last saw him Wednesday morning when he stopped by for coffee before the men went to work.</p><p>"We're going to miss him," Stone said.</p><p>McDonald's manager Lori Wade had just left for the day when the accident occurred.</p><p>"It's really terrible that it happened," she said.</p><p>Reach Stephanie Taylor at stephanie.taylor@tuscaloosanews.com or 722-0210.</p>